The promotion of lesser-known tourist sites and attractions is key to revitalising Ireland's rural communities, according to a delegation representing Clare tourism, which starts a week-long trip to the US today.

Representatives from Clare County Council, Shannon Development, Clare Tourism Forum, Clare Tourist Council and Shannon Heritage travel to the US to market some of the county's attractions to people attending the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest in Wisconsin. It is the world's largest Irish music festival and attracts more than 140,000 annually.

Clare County Council's acting heritage officer Tomás MacConmara said: "The promotion of the lesser-known heritage attractions throughout the country is often overlooked even though they hold the key to revitalising rural communities and contributing to the sustained growth of the Irish tourist sector."

Clare boasts some of the world's most famous heritage sites and tourist attractions, including Bunratty Castle, Cragganowen, The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. "The county has much more to offer than just the famous tourism landmarks with a vast array of local heritage sites and attractions available to tourists," MacConmara said.

Clare's lesser known attractions include 5,000 year-old portal tombs, 23 surviving crannógs, 220 holy wells, round towers, King Brian Ború's doorway in Tuamgraney, the Michael Cusack Centre in Carron, more than 100 12th century castles, 12th century high crosses and 224 recorded surviving ringforts.

MacConmara said he believed tourists were now more interested in experiencing local events like heritage days, walks, talks and re-enactments and encouraged heritage and tourism providers to work together in ensuring that events are promoted.

Marie Slattery of Shannon Heritage, which promotes Bunratty Castle and Cragganowen, said: "Everyone knows that Knappogue Castle is ideal for weddings and the castle's medieval banquets, but Knappogue's walled garden and castle tour as a day-time attraction help to keep the visitor in the area for longer."

Covering 74 acres of Lake Michigan's shoreline, the Irish Fest showcases Irish music, history, dance, sports and culture. Promotional teams from Clare have attended the festival six times and this year's travelling party is the biggest to date. It includes the Clare Crafts Association, the Ennis Players and the Clare Céilí Band.

The delegation are also keen to promote Shannon Airport as a trans-Atlantic gateway. Paddy Maher of the Clare Tourist Council believes that the overseas promotion of Shannon is a key factor in maintaining the long-term viability of the airport. He hopes the promotion will enable them to build on the estimated 3,000 US tourists who holidayed in the county after last year's Irish fest.

He said: "The main aim of our presence at the Milwaukee Irish Fest will be to raise awareness of the many airlines operating flight services between Shannon and such American cities as New York, Boston and Chicago. Tourists travelling to Ireland know what to expect when they arrive. We want to show the many tourists that there is an international airport here on the west coast."

This year's festival has been dedicated to the memory of singer Tommy Makem, who died on August 1st and was a regular at the festival. The Milwaukee Irish Fest runs from August 16th to 19th.